The Head Boy and the First Year
by Sosha Sarah
Summary: *title subject to change* Teddy Lupin is Head Boy at Hogwarts and his "little brother" James Potter is a first year . . . can Teddy help James adjust to life at Hogwarts and have a life of his own at the same time? NOT SLASH
1. The Night Before

**A/N:** This is a new story I came up with . . . there's not much here, but if I get around to writing more chapters there will be.  
Feel free to tell me if it blows, cuz it probably does.  
Also, I'm not 100 sure I got the ages right, but let's just pretend I did, k?

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Chapter 1: "The Night Before"

"I'm scared," James Sirius Potter said, staring at the floor.

"Don't be scared," the boy sitting next to him replied. "Jamie, look at me."

James looked up at the one person who he actually let call him by that nickname. He looked into the eyes of the new Hogwarts Head Boy, his best older friend, Teddy Remus Lupin, and felt his fear start to melt away.

"Everyone's a little scared when they first start," Teddy said.

"Even you?" James asked, not believing that Teddy could have been scared of anything.

"Even me," Teddy confirmed. "But you have nothing to worry about. You get along with people well, so I'm sure you'll make plenty of friends. And if you ever need anything, I might be a little busy with my Head Boy duties, but I'll always be there for you. You know that. So just try to get some sleep and worry about tomorrow when it comes."

Teddy got up and moved to leave James's room when he heard James whisper something that broke his heart. "But what if it was a mistake and I really didn't get in?"

"Jamie, being scared is just going to make it worse," Teddy said, sitting down next to James and placing his arm around the boy who had always been like a little brother to him. "If you keep trying to convince yourself that Hogwarts is going to be horrible, then you're not going to let yourself enjoy it, and you'll be missing out on 7 amazing years."

"But what if I'm really a squib and I shouldn't have gotten the letter?" James asked, trying not to cry.

"Remember when you were 6 and you set my pants on fire?" James nodded. "And remember when you turned your hair green because you wanted to be able to change your hair color like I can?" James nodded again and laughed. It took four hours before anyone could figure out how to change his hair back to its normal color. "That was all magic," Teddy said. "You can do magic. And when you get to Hogwarts, you'll learn a lot of fun spells. You'll love it and you'll do great. Just be yourself and don't worry. Okay?"

"Okay," James replied sheepishly.

"Good," Teddy said, getting up. "Now get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

James climbed into his bed and pulled the covers over him, and Teddy walked out of the room, extinguishing the lights with a simple spell as he did.

Teddy walked down the stairs into the kitchen where he found his godfather, Harry Potter, sitting at the table with his wife, Ginny. Teddy sat down next to Harry and poured himself a cup of water.

"How is he?" Ginny asked.

"A little nervous," Teddy replied. "He'll be alright, though, once he calms down."

"Will he, though?" Harry asked, concerned.

On the surface the question seemed easy enough, but Teddy knew the real meaning of it. Among the Slytherins, there were still a decent amount of kids who had inherited a hatred for Harry Potter, and Harry was concerned that James might suffer as a result of that. "Honestly, it'll be hard," Teddy said. "I got hassled a lot for being Harry Potter's godson; being his actual son won't be any easier. But he'll get used to it and learn to ignore them."

"Are you sure it won't be anything more than just teasing and minor stuff?"

"These kids know their limits for the most part," Teddy replied. "Every so often you'll get a kid who doesn't give a hoot about the rules, but generally someone can manage to keep those kids in line. And I'll keep an eye on Jamie for the first few weeks, make sure he's okay."

Harry laughed. "Sometimes I don't know what we'd do without you, Teddy," he said.

"Well, I hope you never have to find out," Teddy replied. "'Cause I have no idea what I'd do without you guys."

"That's not something you'll ever have to worry about," Ginny said. "Now go get some sleep; you have a pretty big day tomorrow."

Teddy smiled. He may have lost his parents at a very young age, but between his grandmother and his godfather and family, he did pretty well without them. "Goodnight, guys," he said as he walked back up the stairs to his room. He fell into bed and fell asleep almost immediately, dreaming about starting his 7th and final year at Hogwarts.


	2. First Day

**A/N:** Sorry it took so long, but I've been busy. Get over it.  
Also, sorry it blows.

* * *

Chapter 2: "First Day"

Teddy Lupin woke up on the morning of September 1st, pulled himself off the couch that served as his bed at the Potters', and walked down into the kitchen, hoping for a quiet breakfast. Instead, he found the entire Potter family sitting around the kitchen table eating chocolate chip pancakes with home-made whipped cream and chocolate milk (James's favorite breakfast).

"So, Jamie, ready for your first day?" Teddy asked, playing with James's hair for a second on his way to the seat that had been left open for him between Albus and Lily.

Instead of answering Teddy's question, James concentrated on cutting up his pancake. "You don't have to be worried about school, James, you'll love it," Ginny said.

James just grunted, not wanting to show his family how afraid he was. It was one thing to tell Teddy the night before, but he had to put on a brave face for the family. James was the oldest, meaning that he needed to set a good example for Albus and Lily—and being nervous about school wasn't going to make them excited about going to Hogwarts when they turned 11.

James concentrated on eating his breakfast (which he was sure he would end up throwing up because he was so nervous), and before long it was time to leave for King's Cross. The family (plus Teddy) packed up Harry's (muggle) mini-van and before they knew it, they were standing in between Platform 9 and Platform 10.

"Just walk straight through the barrier," Ginny reminded her kids.

"We know, Mom, we've done this before," James said, annoyed.

"Yeah, but that was a few years ago," Teddy replied. The entire Potter family had come to see him off the first time he left for Hogwarts, but every year after that, his grandmother brought him. "Besides, as your mother, it's her job to nag you. No offense, Ginny."

"None taken," Ginny replied, smiling. "Everyone ready to go through?" Everyone nodded and they made their way, in pairs, onto Platform 9 ¾, where they saw the Hogwarts Express waiting.

The whole family stood looking at the scarlet train waiting at the platform. "Wow," James said.

"You do realize you've seen it before," Teddy said, laughing.

"Yeah, but that was forever ago," James replied. "And I didn't have to go on it."

"It's not as scary as it looks, I promise," Harry said.

"I should probably go now, I have a few things I need to do on the train," Teddy said. "Jamie, can I talk to you for a second?"

James nodded and walked off to the side with Teddy. "So here's the deal," Teddy began. "I have to sit in the prefects' compartment for at least part of the time, but I'll try to come check on you at some point in time. Don't be nervous; all of the first years are coming in with basically the same background, so you won't be behind. You're a good kid, well, sometimes at least, and you're easy to get along with, so you'll make plenty of friends. Just be yourself. Oh, and try not to get into too much trouble. At least not for the first few weeks. And if I see you causing trouble, I do have to take off points, so don't think you can do things and count on me to get you out of trouble, because I can't. Oh, and, the most important thing, have fun. Hogwarts is a great experience and you'll love it."

"Okay," James said quietly.

"I have to go now, but I'll see you on the train," Teddy said, running his hand through James's hair.

"Bye," James said, watching as the one person he knew at Hogwarts (besides Professor Longbottom) walked away.

"What did Teddy have to say?" Harry asked, coming up behind his oldest son.

"He just wanted to tell me that he couldn't sit with me on the train because he's _Head Boy_," James said, a certain arrogance creeping into his voice. "Not like I care. I don't want to be seen with a goody-goody like the head boy anyway."

"Don't say that!" Albus protested. "He's not some goody-goody, he's Teddy!"

"Whatever," James said, refusing to back down. "I have to get on the train now anyway." He started to walk away from his family.

"James Sirius, get back here," Harry said sternly. Hearing his father's tone, James obediently turned around and walked over to face his father. "I know this is going to be very hard for you," Harry said gently. "I know that Teddy is one of very few people there that you know, and he's going to try to make sure that he gets to hang out with you sometimes, but you need to realize that he has his own life and you need to let him do this own thing sometimes. Okay?"

James just nodded. As much as he knew that what his father was saying was right, he didn't want to actually say it out loud. "I know you well enough to know that a nod is the best I'm going to get," Harry said, laughing. "Now come on, say goodbye to your mother and your siblings so that you can get on that train and start your life as a Hogwarts student. Are you ready?"

"I was born ready!" James said excitedly. He quickly said goodbye to his mother, his brother, and his sister, grabbed his stuff, and ran onto the train.

James wandered through the train looking for an empty compartment in which to sit. Finally, he found a compartment where a scared-looking boy was sitting. "Can I sit here?" James asked.

"Sure," the boy replied. "I'm Tom Cochrane; what's your name?"

"James Potter," James replied. "I'm a first-year."

"Me too," Tom said. "A few months ago I didn't even know that magic existed and now I'm here. I'm really nervous."

"I'm nervous too, and I've known about magic my whole life," James replied.

"Is it going to be really weird that I come from a muggle family?" Tom asked curiously.

"No, you won't be the only muggle-born person in the school," James replied. "You might be a little behind at first, but you'll catch up. Actually, my aunt is muggle-born, and she was apparently the smartest kid in her year."

Their conversation was interrupted by another person entering. "Hey, I'm Jack Hooper," the new boy said. "Soon-to-be fourth generation Gryffindor."

"Hi, I'm James Potter, soon-to-be I don't even know what generation Gryffindor," James replied. "This is Tom Cochrane, first generation of anything. Have a seat."

"Thanks," Jack replied. Turning to Tom, he said, "So, you're muggle-born?" Tom nodded. "Do muggles really not use any magic at all? You do you survive without magic?"

"How do you survive without electricity?" Tom replied. "If you've never had something, you make a way of living without it. Especially if it's something you don't even know exists."

The door to the compartment opened again and Teddy walked in, smirking. "Hey look, it's a bunch of little first-years, I wonder if I can make them cry," he said jokingly.

"Shut up, Teddy," James said, looking at his feet.

Teddy laughed. "I was joking, Jamie, don't get your panties all bunched up," he said. "For a second there I almost confused you with Al. Anyway, I just came to tell you that the food cart's on its way."

"I have money," James said.

"No you don't," Teddy replied. James went through his pockets and didn't find any money. "Apparently your parents don't trust you to spend your money well, so I'm now your official bank." He tossed some money to James. "This should be enough for food and the first few weeks of school; if you need more, just come find me."

"Alright," James said, nodding. Teddy smiled reassuringly at James before walking out of the compartment to go find his friends.

"So, I'm guessing you know him," Jack said after the compartment door had closed.

"Yeah, that's just Teddy," James replied. "He's…well, he's kind of a long story, but I've known him my whole life. He's Head Boy."

"If he's the Head Boy, I probably should have asked him what exactly is going to happen once we get to school," Tom said. "I'm a little worried about the sorting."

James and Jack started to tell Tom everything they had been told about Hogwarts, and before they knew it, the train was in Hogsmeade. They got off the train and followed Hagrid to the boats that they were taking to school. Once they got to the school, they were escorted into the Great Hall, where they saw the Sorting Hat sitting on a stool.

"This is it," James whispered to Tom and Jack.

As the first years stood nervously, the Sorting Hat opened its brim and began to sing:

_I may look like I'm just a hat,_

_I may look old and worn,_

_I may look like I'm past my prime,_

_I may look tattered and torn._

_But deep inside I'm nice and sharp,_

_I'm wise as I've always been,_

_So put me on, I'll let you know_

_Where your journey will begin._

_Four houses for four founders,_

_All with different qualities and ideals,_

_With your housemates you'll take classes,_

_Spend your time and eat your meals._

_In Gryffindor dwell the __brave at heart,  
Who value chivalry, daring, and nerve,_

_Hufflepuff is where hard workers go, _

_Their loyalty is ahead of the curve._

_In Ravenclaw dwell those who are wise,_

_Who love above all to learn,_

_Slytherin is cunning and power-loving,_

_There pure-bloods find their turn._

_Whatever qualities you may have,_

_I'll tell you where you belong,_

_Just put me on, I'll pick your house,_

_And, of course, I'm never wrong._

Professor Johnson, the deputy headmaster, unrolled the scroll he was holding and began to call out names.

"Aneball, Rodney." Rodney Aneball put on the Sorting Hat, which announced "HUFFLEPUFF" loudly enough for the whole room to hear.

A few more first-years were sorted before Professor Johnson called out, "Cochrane, Tom."

Tom hesitantly walked up to the Sorting Hat. He took one last look at his new friends before putting it on. Tom sat on the stool for about a minute before the hat finally shouted "GRYFFINDOR." Tom removed the hat and ran over to the Gryffindor table, where he was congratulated by Teddy and many others.

Professor Johnson called out several other names (including Hooper, Jack, who, not surprisingly, was also sorted into Gryffindor) before reaching "Potter, James."

James glanced over to the Gryffindor table, where he saw Teddy give him a thumbs up and mouth "Don't worry." He walked over to the stool where the Sorting Hat sat, and barely put the hat on before it shouted "GRYFFINDOR." He removed the hat and ran over to sit with Tom and Jack.

After James had been sitting for a few seconds, he felt a hand playing with his hair. "Welcome to Gryffindor," Teddy said. "Your parents will be proud. Especially since the hat made its decision so quickly."

"Thanks, Teddy," James said, beaming.

"I have to go take care of a few Head Boy things, and I probably won't see you at all tonight," Teddy said. "If you need anything from me later, apparently they just build a new 'Head Boy' room in Gryffindor Tower, so just keep going upstairs and you'll find me."

"Alright," James said, waving goodbye to Teddy as he left. He looked up and down the table for familiar faces, and saw his cousin Victoire Weasley, who waved and smiled.

Once the last student, "Zumber, Adam," was sorted into Hufflepuff, Professor McGonagall, the Headmistress, got up to speak.

"Before we begin the incredible feast that has been prepared for us, I would like to make a few announcements," McGonagall said. "Firstly, I would like to remind everyone that the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students. Secondly, our caretaker, Mr. Magon, has asked me to remind the students that all merchandise sold at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes is considered forbidden merchandise, and any student found with this merchandise will have it confiscated and will face detention.

"Finally, it is my pleasure to introduce you to our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor John Jugson is taking over the post after the recent retirement of Professor Ageson. He promises to bring a new approach to the subject and we hope you assist us in welcoming him to the faculty of Hogwarts. And now, let the feast begin. Dig in!"

A few hours later, the feast was over and James, Tom, and Jack were lying in bed in their new dorm room, which they shared with two other boys, Daniel Corner (whose father had apparently been in Ravenclaw and who was therefore terrified that his father would disown him) and River Jordan. James wanted to join in on the conversation that his dorm-mates were having, which was about family loyalty and house loyalty, but he was so tired that he fell asleep immediately. He'd deal with getting to know his dorm-mates tomorrow.


	3. Classes with a Death Eater

**A/N**: Okay, so this only took me what, 6 months or so? Mostly it's just because I lost interest. Then about a month ago I started working on this chapter, but I decided it was too long, so I just wanted to post this part. Most of the good part of this chapter will be in the next chapter. Which will have to be seen as part of this chapter, because of one particular reference which carries over. Also, there was supposed to be a scene of James in Herbology, but I just couldn't manage to write it. So hopefully there'll be more James in future chapters.  


* * *

Chapter 3: "Classes with a Death Eater"

Teddy Lupin sat at breakfast with his fellow Gryffindor seventh years. He was glad that the school had created a special dorm room for the head boy, but the downside of having his own room was that he was no longer sharing a room with his friends. With his Head Boy duties, one of his friends being a Prefect, and one friend being Quidditch captain, the only time they were really all together was at meals and in classes.

Teddy and his friends were catching up on each other's summers and what had happened since they had last seen each other (which was only two weeks before, when the boys had all met up in Diagon Alley to do their school shopping) when their Head of House, Professor Longbottom, came over to give them their schedules.

"Hi Nev—sorry, Professor Longbottom," Teddy said. "Any chance I managed to get away with having no classes with Slytherins this year?"

"Considering the fact that most N.E.W.T. level classes are mixed, I'd say probably not," Neville replied. "I did notice that you're not taking Herbology this year."

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry," Teddy said. "It's these stupid Auror training classes . . . I really don't understand why they try to start training us when we're still in school. It means that I can't take any fun classes; all I have time for are the required classes for Auror training."

"Teddy," Neville said, chuckling, "You and Hermione are the only people I know who would want to take classes for _fun_. You'll have plenty fun in your Auror classes, and I'm sure I'll see you around a lot, so don't worry about it."

"Thanks, Professor," Teddy said before Neville walked down the table to finish handing out schedules.

Teddy and his friends spent a few more minutes chatting and comparing schedules before they were interrupted by a girl wearing a shiny badge clearing her throat very meaningfully at Teddy.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Head Girl," Teddy said, turning to face the angry looking red-haired Ravenclaw. "How are you Gina?"

"I would like to go around and introduce myself to all of the students so that they know who the Head Girl is," Gina replied, sounding annoyed. "I was just wondering if the Head Boy could find some time out of his busy schedule to join me."

"Sure thing," Teddy replied, quickly finishing his breakfast and putting his schedule in his pocket. "Which house do you want to start with?"

"You mean you're actually going to do this?" Gina said, shocked that Teddy agreed to join her. She had assumed that it would take a lot of arguing and glaring to get the normally mischievous Gryffindor to go along with her plan, and she was having difficulty reconciling the Teddy Lupin that the whole school knew with the "ready and willing to help" Head Boy sitting before her. "I never would have expected you to agree."

"'Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected,'" Teddy said as if quoting something.

"What?"

"I know my Sun Tzu," Teddy replied, laughing. Seeing the blank look on Gina's face, he explained, "Sun Tzu. _The Art of War_. It's a muggle book; it's very famous."

"Well, instead of quoting muggle books, we can start with Gryffindor, seeing as we're already here," Gina said, trying to cover up the fact that Teddy knew something that she did not know.

With a quick "see you later" to his friends, Teddy got up and followed Gina down the table as she introduced them to all of the students, including those who probably already knew them both.

When he and Gina reached the first-year Gryffindor boys, Teddy sat down next to James Potter. "Morning, Jamie," he said. "How's the schedule?"

"Herbology first," James replied, looking over at the boy he had always considered to be like an older brother. "Then Potions with the Slytherins and double Charms with Hufflepuff in the afternoon."

"At least you'll be starting things off on the right foot," Teddy replied. "Professor Longbottom should have something fun for you on the first day. Potions is going to be a pain, but just follow instructions and try not to antagonize Professor Greengrass. She's the head of Slytherin house, so naturally, she hates all Gryffindors. Double Charms shouldn't be too bad, just try not to get too discouraged if you don't get things on your first try—you wouldn't think _wingardium leviosa_ is hard spell, but if you've never done magic before, it can be. You'll be fine, Jamie, I promise. Did you send your parents an owl telling them you got into Gryffindor?"

"Not yet," James admitted.

"I'll do it; I have to owl your Dad later anyway," Teddy volunteered. Just then he heard someone clear her throat. "What did I do wrong now, Gina?" he asked, not bothering to turn around and look at her.

"I was just wondering if you were going to chat with one student all day or if you wanted to introduce yourself to everyone," Gina replied.

"I'm Teddy Lupin, a fellow Gryffindor, and Head Boy, and this is Gina Turttleson, the Head Girl," Teddy said, rolling his eyes. "If you have any questions at all, we're both available to help you, as are the prefects, who you will hopefully be meeting soon if you have not already met them." Turning to Gina, he added, "Happy now?"

"Lupin, I will never understand why they made a lunkhead like you Head Boy," Gina replied. "You're simply impossible."

"I'm not impossible, I'm just trying to have a conversation," Teddy replied.

"Private conversations can happen later," Gina replied. "For now you might want to try being Head Boy."

Teddy raised his hands in defeat and turned to follow Gina as she continued to walk down the table. Before he got too far, he turned around and mouthed "have fun," to James, who smiled before returning to his breakfast.

Teddy walked into his first class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and sat down in next to his best friend, Jake Brown, in the seat that had been saved for him. Before he and his friends got a chance to continue the conversation they had been having at breakfast, their teacher, Professor Jugson, enter the room.

Professor Jugson waved his wand and the words "Defensive Spells" and "Attack Spells" appeared next to each other on the board. "Welcome to your final year of Defense Against the Dark Arts," he said. "Many of you are interested in becoming Aurors. The tools you will acquire in this class will help you in that goal.

"We will be learning two types of advance spells in this class: defensive spells and attack spells. Which are more important?"

Teddy raised his hand and was called on. "Attack spells, sir," he said.

Professor Jugson looked at Teddy, seemingly evaluating him. "What's your name?"

"Teddy Lupin, sir."

"Very well, Mr. Lupin, why did you choose that answer?"

"Because you need to know what's coming, or even just that something is coming, to be able to defend yourself," Teddy replied. "It's no use knowing how to create a shield if you don't know what you're shielding yourself from and when you're even going to need to defend yourself."

"Good answer, Mr. Lupin, 5 points for Gryffindor," Professor Jugson said before turning to face the blackboard. "As Mr. Lupin said, knowing attack spells, or at least how to recognize attack spells, is crucial to self-defense." As he said this, Professor Jugson pointed to the words "attack spells" on the blackboard. As he did this, his sleeve fell slightly and Teddy could see what looked like a tattoo on his arm.

"Jake," Teddy whispered, trying to get his best friend's attention. Jake looked at Teddy. "Look at his arm."

Jake turned his head to see Professor Jugson and his mouth opened in shock. "It can't be!" he said.

"I'm pretty sure it is," Teddy replied.

"What are you guys going on about?" Danny Powner, another one of their friends, asked.

"Professor Jugson," Teddy whispered, "and the Dark Mark."

Their conversation was interrupted by Professor Jugson. "Care to share something, Mr. Lupin?" he said.

"No, sir, I apologize," Teddy replied. "It won't happen again."

"Since this is the first time, I'll only take 5 points off from Gryffindor," Professor Jugson said. "Next time I catch you talking in class it will be more." Teddy nodded.

"As I was saying," Professor Jugson continued, "While the Dark Lord fell many years ago, there is still danger and dark magic out in the world."

Teddy looked at his friends and mouthed "Dark Lord." They understood. Only Death Eaters had referred to Lord Voldemort as the Dark Lord. Most people referred to him simply as "You-Know-Who." Something very suspicious was going on.

After class Teddy and his friends walked off to a secluded corner where they could talk without fear of being overheard.

"There has to be something here we don't know," Danny said. "McGonagall would not hire a Death Eater. Especially not to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Maybe she doesn't know," Jake replied. "Nobody knows who all of the Death Eaters were. Or maybe he changed his name and his appearance."

"It's not that easy to change your appearance," Jenna Robertson, one of the girls in their year who was also in the class, said.

Teddy responded by changing his hair color to purple. "And don't say that he can't do that, because we have no way of knowing if he's a metamorphmagus."

"It's possible, but not very likely," Danny said. "I just wish I knew what was going on."

"I'm going to tell Harry about this; maybe he'll have some idea who this guy is," Teddy replied. "Harry seems to think the former Death Eaters are up to something and he asked me to let him know if I see or hear anything, so he'll really want to hear this. I'm going to go send him a letter; I'll see you guys at lunch."

Teddy's friends walked to the great hall while he went up to the owlery. He wrote a note to his godfather detailing what he had seen and heard in DADA class and his suspicions. At the end he added a note about James ending up in Gryffindor. Finishing the letter, he attached it to his owl's leg. "Alright, Hedwig, bring this to Harry," he said to the snowy owl who had been named after his godfather's first owl. "And try to get me a response soon."

Teddy watched as his owl flew out the window and then went to join his friends at lunch. They had stopped discussing their new Professor, because they never knew who could be listening to their conversation, but they were all still thinking about the possibility that their teacher was a Death Eater.

So, that's all for this chapter . . . hopefully the next one won't take 6 months. . .


	4. Teddy's Teacher Problem

**A/N:** So, I don't know if there's anyone around who read the first 3 chapters of this story when they came out 2 years ago, but I've been starting and stopping this chapter over those past 2 years. I finally finished it, and while it could be better, I'm fairly happy with how it came out (except the title, which sucks, but I don't really care that much).

I can't promise that there will be another chapter within the next 2 years, especially because I'm a very busy person, but every so often I feel a desire to start writing again, so who knows, maybe there will be another chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 4: "Teddy's Teacher Problem"

Harry Potter was sitting at his dining room table, eating lunch with his wife, Ginny, when an owl that he recognized as belonging to his godson, Teddy, arrived with a letter. He removed the letter from the owl's beak and began to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_We got here okay and without any incidents (although it's only the first day, so I wasn't expecting James to have caused that much trouble yet anyway)._

_You told me to keep my eyes open for anything that seemed out of the ordinary, and I have some big news for you. Professor Ageson Retired, and we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor John Jugson. I was sitting in class yesterday and me and a few of my friends noticed when his sleeve fell down somewhat as he was pointing to something on the blackboard, he seemed to have a tattoo that looked a lot like the Dark Mark. He also referred to Voldemort as "the Dark Lord," which how the Death Eaters used to refer him, right? I know Professor McGonagall wouldn't knowingly hire a former Death Eater, but something has to be going on here. Have you ever heard of this guy?_

_Anyway, I hope everything's okay at home and you're not having too much trouble adjusting to a house without Jamie causing trouble. Send my love to everyone. Oh, I almost forgot to mention – James was sorted into Gryffindor (and the hat made its decision pretty quickly, too)._

_Teddy_

Harry read the letter over a few times to make sure he understood what Teddy was saying. The name Jugson didn't seem familiar to him at all, but that didn't mean very much – there were still plenty of Death Eaters who were never caught. Either way, that was something that needed to be investigated further. He wrote a letter to Professor McGonagall, suggesting a meeting to discuss the new teacher. He then headed off to the auror office at the Ministry of Magic to do some research into this Professor Jugson and see if he could find any evidence to back up Teddy's theory.

*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*

Harry Potter arrived at Hogwarts later morning for a meeting with Professor McGonagall. The two of them spent a few minutes discussing the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, his qualifications, and Teddy's comments, but they realized that they could not get a good feel for the concerns of Teddy and his fellow students, which is why Teddy and his friends found themselves pulled out of class and standing in Professor McGonogall's office shortly before lunch.

"Tell me exactly what happened in class, Mr. Lupin," Professor McGonogall asked, looking at Teddy.

Teddy launched into the story, trying to remember exactly what he had noticed and when. Every so often one of his friends would interrupt him and add something he had forgotten. When he had finished his story, two of his friends added comments they had heard from their younger siblings.

Professor McGonogall closed her eyes for a few minutes to think before speaking. "I'm not trying to tell you that you don't have a right or reason to be concerned," she said hesitantly, "But there is something you need to realize. If, and this is purely theoretical, but if there are still Death Eaters out there, they won't have the Dark Mark visible."

"Why not?" Teddy asked. "It's not like he was trying to show it to us, it was hidden, but it was still there."

"The Dark Mark became more visible as Voldemort got stronger," Harry explained. "When he was weak and hadn't returned to power, it wasn't visible. It became more visible either as he got stronger or when he was summoning the Death Eaters. Today, years after Voldemort was killed, it shouldn't be visible."

"So you're saying I'm just making this up," Teddy said, starting to get angry. He couldn't believe that his own godfather didn't believe me.

"I'm not saying that at all," Harry said. "I wouldn't have come here if I didn't believe you saw something serious, I'm just saying that something here doesn't compute."

"So you're saying I couldn't have seen the Dark Mark," Teddy replied, his temper staring to flare. "Despite the fact that I brought witnesses that also saw it."

"We're saying that the Dark Mark shouldn't be visible," Professor McGonagall said. "Maybe what you saw was a tattoo that just looks like the Dark Mark. I don't know. I just know that it couldn't have been the Dark Mark."

"This guy could have killed my parents, and you don't even care," Teddy said, his voice rising. "Just as long as Voldemort is dead, nothing else matters, right? Why do we even need Defense Against the Dark Arts anyway? I mean, Voldemort's gone, who cares how many people he killed, it's all—"

"Teddy!" Harry said, interrupting his godson. "We all care. Everyone in this room, everyone in this school, suffered. And he didn't kill your parents. I know who killed your parents. They're dead. And we wouldn't let a Death Eater teach here, not Defense Against the Dark Arts or any other class. We're just trying to tell you that we don't have enough information to jump to any conclusions."

"No, you're trying to tell me that you don't trust my judgment," Teddy screamed, picking up the nearest object and throwing it across the room. When he heard the satisfying sound of glass breaking, he picked up something else off the table and threw that too. After breaking a few of Professor McGonagall's possessions, he spoke again. "You don't believe me or trust me? Fine. I guess I don't need to be here then." With that, he turned around and stormed out of the office. One of his friends went to follow him, but Harry stopped him.

"Let him go," Harry said. "He needs to be angry for a little bit. Let him blow off some steam, and then hopefully by the time you guys see him again we'll have a solution . . . or at least something."

"I can try to make time to sit in on a few of his classes," Professor McGonogall suggested. "We do technically of supervising a new teacher's class at least once a week for the first few months, it just doesn't get enforced very often."

"That seems reasonable," Harry said. The students in the room nodded their heads in agreement. "And I'll keep looking into this guy, see what I can find about him."

"Any other suggestions?" Professor McGonogall asked, looking at some of her brightest students.

"We can try bringing in an auror to help teach the class, maybe once a month?" one of Teddy's friends suggested. "Maybe we can find an auror who has some experience teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, or at least tutoring some of his friends?"

Harry laughed. "That can definitely be arranged," he said. "I can definitely come in and teach a special lesson at least once a month."

"Perfect," Professor McGonogall said. "I'll try to sit in on his classes once a week or so, and Mr. Potter will come in once a month to teach, make sure everything's going okay. Now I believe you students may want to catch the end of lunch before there's no food left . . . and you also have a friend to find."

The Gryffindor seventh years filled out of Professor McGonogall's office with a round of "Thank Yous" and "Goodbyes." With that issue resolved, they were all a little hungry and wanted some lunch.

*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*

James Potter had officially decided that he was not meant to spend his life in a classroom. Yes, the classes were interesting, and he had thoroughly enjoyed the Transfiguration lesson he had just sat through, but sometimes a boy just needed some fresh air. Especially when his father had mysteriously shown up at school that morning, and was probably waiting for him in the Great Hall. Which is why James found himself wandering the Hogwarts campus during his lunch hour. As he neared the Forbidden Forest, he was about to turn back around and get himself some lunch, when he saw a very familiar looking shape sitting at the edge of the forest, throwing rocks. James approached Teddy cautiously and say down next to him.

After a few moments of sitting quietly, Teddy finally looked up. "What are you doing here?" he asked James.

"My father's here," James replied, trying, but failing, to sound nonchalant.

"I know," Teddy replied. "I asked him to talk to Professor McGonagall about something."

James was instantly relieved that his father hadn't come just to check up on him. But that instant relief passed quickly as curiosity took over. "What did you want him to talk to her about?" James asked.

Teddy looked down at the ground and chuckled slightly before looking up again. "It doesn't matter," he said, "They think I'm overreacting. Just . . ." He paused slightly before continuing, "When do you have Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"Last period today, why?"

"Just, do me a favor, Jamie," Teddy said, truly looking James in the eye for the first time since the younger boy had sat down next to him. "Be careful in that class, okay?"

James paused to think before answering. "What do you mean?"

"Don't call any attention to yourself. Sit quietly and behave. If he asks you a question, answer it, but don't volunteer any answers if you're not directly asked."

"Why?" James asked. He wasn't really one to volunteer answers most of the time anyway, but he still wanted to know why Teddy was making such a big deal out of this.

"I don't trust him," Teddy said, shaking his head slightly. "Your dad and Professor McGonagall think I'm crazy, but I don't trust him. And I don't want anything to happen to you . . . I would never forgive myself if you got hurt. Especially if I could have stopped it."

James sat up straighter, and when he spoke, there was a hint of fear in his voice. "You think he's going to hurt me? Why would me hurt me?"

"I don't know," Teddy said, trying to find a way to explain himself without scaring James. "I don't know if he'd really hurt you, I just . . . I don't trust him."

James looked at Teddy's face and saw the sad look in Teddy's eyes. As much as he didn't understand what was going on and why this was so important to Teddy, he knew that Teddy seemed serious about this. He knew that Teddy always took good care of him and would never try to steer him in the wrong direction, so he decided that he needed to trust Teddy, even if he didn't know why. "Okay, I'll be careful," James said quietly.

"Good. Thank you," Teddy said, running his hand through James's hair. For the first time since the conversation started, a smile appeared on his face. "Now go back inside, you shouldn't be hanging around the forbidden forest. If you stay here any longer, I'll have to take off points from Gryffindor."

With a final goodbye to his friend, James got up and ran back towards the castle. For some strange reason, his conversation with Teddy had made him hungry . . . and confused, but mostly just hungry.

*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*

James walked into his first Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Teddy's warning playing over in his head. He still didn't understand why Teddy had given him that warning, but the look in his friend's eyes was something he had never seen before, and he knew that he had to listen to the warning Teddy was giving him.

James sat down in the back of classroom and tried to remain inconspicuous. He managed to stay out of the spotlight until about halfway through class, when Professor Jugson called on him to answer a question. "Mr. Potter," Professor Jugson said, looking down at some papers on his desk. "Several of your teachers have told me that you have so far been an active participant in classes, but nothing in my class. Should I be insulted?"

"Of course not, sir," James replied hesitantly. "I'm just . . . a little under the weather. I'll try to participate more in the future."

"Are you feeling up to answering a question for me now?" Professor Jugson asked. James nodded hesitantly. "Can you tell me a spell you would use when trying to disarm an opponent?"

"_Expelliarmus_," James said, somewhat hesitantly. He actually knew the answer to the question, as it was one of the things his father had taught him over the summer. However, after Teddy's bizarre warning, he didn't want to sound like he knew too much.

"No need to sound so hesitant, Mr. Potter," Professor Jugson said. "You just earned five points for Gryffindor. Very good. Disarming your opponent may not seem like a very important skill to have when fighting dark magic, but it was the exact spell that Mr. Potter just shared with us that lead to the downfall of the Dark Lord . . ."

James suddenly sat up in his seat. "Everything okay, Mr. Potter?" Professor Jugson asked.

"Yes, sorry, sir," James said, "I just got a small pain in my back and wanted to shift how I was sitting. I'm sorry for the disturbance."

"Just try not to let it happen again," Professor Jugson replied before returning to his lecture. James, meanwhile, could not return to paying attention in class. Most of the students probably had not picked up on it, but he was pretty sure that Professor Jugson had just referred to Voldemort as "the Dark Lord." One thing that James had learned from living with his father was that only Death Eaters had referred to Voldemort using that particular phrase. Suddenly, Teddy's warning made sense. The worst part was, he couldn't do anything about it. If nobody would listen to the Head Boy, then they definitely wouldn't listen to some first year. All he could do was sit back and wait to see what happened.


End file.
